


The Only Thing Necessary

by hauntedlittledoll



Series: Tumblr Fic War [15]
Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: Foul Language, Gen, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-09
Updated: 2014-07-09
Packaged: 2018-02-08 02:13:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1922856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hauntedlittledoll/pseuds/hauntedlittledoll
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for lethargicprofessor - "Jason is sent back in time and has the chance to stop his death? Does he take it?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Only Thing Necessary

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lethargicProfessor](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lethargicProfessor/gifts).



> Title taken from the following quote by Edmund Burke: "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

"Hood!  Hood, stop!"  His replacement tackled him from behind, getting both hands on the weapon and one arm around Jason’s neck.  "What do you think you’re doing?"

"What do you think I’m doing?!" Jason bellowed, trying to pitch the younger vigilante over his head.  It didn’t work.  Tim had a grip of iron when he was willing to exert himself—might even be a match for Dick.

"I think you’re losing track of the mission," his brother yelled back.  The pitch was hell on Jason’s ears this close to the helmet’s automatic amplification.  "You can’t think straight when the Joker’s involved!"

"Fuck you!" Jason shot back.  He was strong enough to carry all three of his brothers if necessary, and Tim’s scrawny frame didn’t even slow the Red Hood down.  He shifted the kid’s weight and kept going.  "And fuck the Joker!"

The barrel of his gun is pulled back tight against the helmet from the force they’re both exerting on the weapon.  If it goes off, his hearing’s shot.

Jason was tempted.  Tim would freak and Jason wouldn’t have to listen to that awful soundtrack of thumps, cracks, screams, and laughter a second longer.

"You hear that, Pretender?" he growled.  "That’s the sound of a fifteen year old kid getting beat to hell and left to die."

"It was ten years ago," Red Robin hissed fiercely.  "You don’t stay dead!"

"It shouldn’t matter if it’s me or you or a total stranger," Jason insisted.  "We’re _heroes_.  We _stop_ _it_.”

"After everything you and Donna went through with the Monitors," Tim grunted, "and the whole flashpoint mess that we only _just_ got straightened out … who do you think you are to screw with the time stream?”

"Screw the time stream!" Jason shouted.

They were close enough now to draw attention, and while Red Robin doesn’t let go of the gun, he does swing his weight enough to land a devastating kick on the goon that came to investigate.

"Screw the Monitors!  Screw Fate!"  Jason lashed out sideways with his elbow, putting the full weight of his body behind it.  The second minion went down, clutching at his throat.

Jason found himself face-to-face with a third opponent, and he didn’t even reconsider his stray impulse.  There was a distinctive crack as forehead met helmet, and the Joker’s henchman dropped like a rock.

"You don’t mean that," Tim snarled.  "If we mess this up, we can never go _home_ , Jason!”  The teenager pulled himself up another inch or two for better leverage, twisting to plant one of his combat boots in another man’s belly.  “You can’t save everybody!”

"Batgirl would already have Robin out," Jason pointed out, spinning in place to take out a man with his brother’s weight.

Tim grunted, and kicked off the nearest thug.  “You and Batgirl would be the team-up from hell,” he grumbled.  “Faith … _doesn’t.  Move.  Mountains!”_

Someone was going to need dental surgery in the near future, but wasn’t Tim and it wasn’t Jason so the Read Hood couldn’t really be bothered to care.

"Can’t you guys see _I’m busy?”_ Red Robin shouted.

Jason ducked just in time; firearms had finally made an appearance.

He dove for the dubious cover of a nearby truck.  Tim landed on his upper back in a crouch, forcing Jason’s face into the dirt.

"If I was just wearing the domino, Pretender," Jason ground out, "I’d hold that one against you."

"Snark less, crawl faster," was the terse command.

Jason obeyed.  Sort of.  Since he was going to do it anyways.

"You don’t mean it," Tim insisted again.  "You’ve finally made up with B.  You’ve got friends.  You’ve got family again.  If you mess up the time stream, that might never happen."

"If we went back any further, I woulda put the Clown in the ground before he ever got to BG," Jason swore.  "With a _smile_ on my face, do you hear me?  I would have put Zuko and Chill down long before they got anywhere near B or … B.  Man, that’s confusing as hell.  Check the belt for flash bombs, would ya?”

"I’ve got it under control."

"See, this is what’s wrong with the whole family," Jason grunted, finding his feet again and dashing for the building.  "Stubborn as hell."

Hopefully, the Joker’s men would be less likely to fire if it meant risking their boss.  Maybe not, the Joker wasn’t one to instill loyalty in his troops.

"We’re both gonna die before we’ll take a hand off this gun."

"I won’t let you do something you’ll regret later," Tim insisted.

"Since when do I regret anything?" Jason grunted, hefting the kid’s weight.  "Give it up, Baby Bird.  We ain’t going home.  I’m getting Robin out or I’ll die trying."

"That’s not funny!"

"It’s a little bit funny," Jason grinned under the mask as he watched the minions edge forward.

It was almost cute—to think scum like this thought themselves capable of cornering the children of the Bat.

"You know what they say, little Red," Jason reminded his younger brother cheerfully.  "Evil only wins when good men do nothing."

A split second of utter silence.  Even the Joker had stopped laughing as the clown was undoubtedly straining to hear what was going on outside.

"I hate you," Tim muttered, letting go of the gun.  "So much."

"You say that, but then you insist on dying for me again and again, so I don’t _beeelieve yooou anyyy-morrre_ ,” Jason sang out as he kicked the door in.


End file.
